Namaste India Market brings an Indian open-air bazaar to the Mission

San Francisco holds cultural strongholds like Chinatown, Japantown, the JCC and the Mission District, but as the founders of the Mission’s fledgling Namaste India Market point out, there’s no centralized hub for southern Asians.

They’re hoping to change that with the inception of Namaste India Market, a biweekly open-air weekend marketplace under the freeway on the northern stretch of Valencia Street. The market is leasing the land from CalTrans, and it’s a nice idea, using a plot of land that’s otherwise rendered pretty useless.

The idea comes from founder Alok Dutt, who’s been in American for the last 15 years, but wanted to recreate the open-air markets from his native Delhi. Last weekend was the soft opening maiden voyage of the Namaste India Market, and the all-day affairs featured about 15 vendors selling Indian street food, crafts and art, plus music performances and cooking demos. The plan is to expand to about 40 vendors; interested folks should apply here. It’s still uncertain when the next market will be, but they’ll update the website when the dates are announced.

With Curry Up Now opening next week and Namaste India Market taking shape, it looks like the area’s already-loaded Indian stretch — Gajalee, Dosa, Amber Dhara, Pakwan, et al. — is showing no signs of slowing down.